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Special Collections in the Regional Studies Center
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Arkansas Lime Company Collection - The Arkansas Lime Company Collection contains a variety of materials (photographs, newspaper clippings, maps, receipts, and historical and chronological notes) relating to the history of the Arkansas Lime Company in Independence County, 1906-1990s. Most of the materials are photocopies of originals in the possession of Harvey Phillips. The collection was processed in 1992 by Nancy S. Griffith.

Barnett Collection - The Barnett Collection consists of newspaper clippings, receipts, invoices, inventories, correspondence, and other materials relating to Barnett Brothers Mercantile Company (1903-1986) of Batesville and various members of the Barnett family as well as to related families. The collection also contains miscellanea relating to the Barnetts’ involvement with Lyon (Arkansas) College and with a variety of community organizations and institutions. The collection was processed in 1993 by Nancy S. Griffith.

Hail Bryant Collection - The Hail Bryant Collection contains photographs, slides, newspaper and magazine clippings, maps, and videotaped interviews relating to Mr. Bryant’s cave exploration and specifically to the exploration and development of Blanchard Springs Caverns in Stone County, Arkansas. The collection was processed in 1992 by Nancy S. Griffith.

Dixon Collection - The Dixon Collection contains receipts and various legal papers belonging to or related to W. C. Dixon and descendants, spanning a timeframe from 1835 to 1901. A farmer and lawyer, Dixon also served as an elected official in Izard County during the Civil War era. The collection was processed in 1987 by Drew Beisswenger and Tina De Lashmit.

Mary Engels Collection - The Mary Engels Collection contains a variety of memorabilia and records from Engels’s days as a student at Batesville High School and at Lyon (Arkansas) College and from her career in teaching. The collection also contains various genealogical records and family-related materials, such as correspondence, photographs, and legal records. The collection was processed in 1993 by Nancy S. Griffith.

Kennard Collection - The bulk of the Kennard Collection consists of correspondence between Rev. G. S. Kennard (a native of Izard County, Arkansas) and friends and family members between the 1890s and the 1930s. The collection also contains photographs, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, a book of handwritten sermons, and other miscellanea covering a time period from 1847 to 1979. The collection was processed in 1986 by Drew Beisswenger and Tina De Lashmit.

Helen Martin King Collection - Helen Martin King was an Arkansas native and longtime Batesville resident who gained notoriety in the 1930s and 1940s for her hooked rug designs. The Helen Martin King Materials consist of photographs, slides, magazine and newspaper articles, brochures, and other items relating to King’s rug hooking career, as well as correspondence relating to the gathering of the collection. The collection was processed in 1992 by Nancy S. Griffith.

Mary Maxfield Scrapbook Collection - Mary Maxfield Fitzhugh (1858-1932) was a lifelong resident of Batesville, Arkansas. In 1876 she was a member of the first graduating class of Lyon (then Arkansas) College. Mary Maxfield was married to John Conway Fitzhugh, and they had three children: John Conway Fitzhugh Jr., Fred Eugene Fitzhugh, and Mary Maxfield Spragins.

McGuire Family Collection - The McGuire family, John and Cynthia (great-great grandparents of donor Paul M. McGuire) and six children, migrated from North Carolina to Independence County, Arkansas in the 1830s, settling in Greenbriar Township south of the White River. The records and materials in this collection relate to the original McGuires as well as to their numerous offspring in the Batesville area. (For more information, please consult Nancy S. Griffith’s “The W. L. McGuire Journals,” Independence County Chronicle 34 (April-July 1993): 3-47.)

John P. Morrow Collection - John P. Morrow Sr. was a prominent landowner and businessman in Batesville who served for many years on the Lyon (Arkansas) College board of trustees. The John P. Morrow Papers contain a variety of items (newspaper clippings, correspondence, bulletins, and legal papers) relating primarily to the college during the period from 1926 to 1971. The collection was processed in 1987 by Drew Beisswenger and Tina De Lashmit.

Presbyterian Church Ledgers - The collection contains the original ledger book of the First Presbyterian Church of Batesville, Arkansas, which includes a handwritten history of the congregation, sketches of some members, and records of membership for the years 1842 to 1935. The collection was processed by Gene Hyde in 1998.

Smithee Papers Collection - The Smithee Papers consist of four letters and other items once belonging to Margaret Smithee of Jackson County, Arkansas. The collection was processed by Nancy S. Griffith in 1992.

Sojourner Project - The Sojourner Project (official title: If a Stranger Sojourns Among Thee) consists of interviews with Hispanic and Anglo residents of northern Arkansas, both on cassette tape and in digital form. All interviews are indexed. The focus is on everyday life and experience during the migration of Hispanics to the Batesville area during the late 20th century. The collection also contains several related magazine articles and materials. The project was completed in 2010 by Jo Blatti.

Stroud Collection - The Stroud Collection consists of photocopies and transcripts of a variety of historical documents (deeds, receipts, court papers, letters, etc.), the originals of which are in the possession of Robert Stroud, a local historian and collector in Desha, Arkansas. The collection was photocopied and transcribed by Nancy S. Griffith and student workers in the 1990s.

John Quincy Wolf Papers Collection - The John Quincy Wolf Collection consists mainly of correspondence between Wolf (1901-1972) and other folklorists or folk artists and musicians. Correspondents include Alan Lomax, Jimmy Driftwood, and Almeda Riddle. The collection also includes other miscellanea, such as flyers, clippings, song lyrics, and photographs. The collection was processed in 1998 by Gene Hyde and James Higgins.


Mabee-Simpson Library
Lyon College
2300 Highland Road, Batesville, AR  72501
Last modified:  Jul 2, 2009